It's About Time: Settling Things Once and For All
by ananova
Summary: Setting up camp after a long day, the group spot Kikyou's Shinidamachuu and Inuyasha goes to investigate. But as soon as he leaves, Kouga shows up. What does the ookami youkai have in mind? Inu/Kag.


Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I am not making any money from this story.

Author's Note: This story takes place in the anime/manga after episode 152. That means Kagome has healed Kikyou of Naraku's miasma and then Inuyasha refused to leave her to go find Kikyou. Some time later (I don't know if it was the next day or a few days) he had gone looking for her and couldn't find her but when he told that to Kagome she didn't believe him and told him to tell her the truth. So this gives you some background on where they are in the series and relationship wise.

Second note: This story is dedicated to the amazing SplendentGoddess for her help in bringing it to life. Without her this fic wouldn't be where it is today. Thanks again for being a sounding board for my ideas and offering some great suggestions on where I should go with this. I've said it before and I'll say it again, her fics are some of the best out there in the fandom and you should all go read them.

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><p>Kagome sighed tiredly as she helped the others finish setting up camp in the forest clearing. Another long day of travel behind them and another hard battle fought. Fortunately nobody was injured other than a few bruises. Unfortunately, the battle had tired them out and they were no closer to finding Naraku. And no sign of any shards recently either. It looked like there really might not be any left after all, other than the ones they already knew about. She sighed again.<p>

"You alright wench?"

Inuyasha's voice startled her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see him gazing at her in concern. She forced a smile onto her face. "I'm fine Inuyasha, just tired. Don't worry, the ramen will be ready soon."

"Feh." Inuyasha snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. He opened his mouth to say something else but stopped as his eyes caught movement in the forest.

Kagome saw the look on his face and turned, following his gaze. Her heart gave a painful lurch as she recognized Kikyou's Shinidamachuu flitting between the trees. Taking a moment to form a cheerful mask over her features, she turned back to Inuyasha with a forced smile. "You should go see what she wants, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha paused from where he had been turning his back to the flying serpents. "What?"

Kagome forced her smile to become wider. "She's calling for you, isn't she? It could be important. Don't worry, we'll be fine here."

Inuyasha frowned. She was telling him to go? After he had promised he wouldn't leave her side? Why? He knew it hurt her when he would go looking for Kikyou, that experience with Akago had made that clear. And he couldn't help but recall her screaming at him to go find her, followed by those words that had made his heart stop. _"I Hate You!"_ she had screamed at him.

But seeing her there with that look on her face now, that smile as if nothing was the matter, he didn't know what to think. He had been planning to ignore the Shinidamachuu, if it was that important Kikyou could come to the camp to talk. He didn't want to leave Kagome unprotected, even though he knew the others would protect her in his absence. They weren't him.

Kagome stared at him, her face beginning to hurt from the effort of keeping her smile in place. Why hadn't he left yet? She didn't want him to go but she had no right to keep him from the one that he loved. But she didn't know how much longer she could keep her mask in place with him looking at her like that. "Go on Inuyasha" she urged him again.

Inuyasha glanced between her and the Shinidamachuu. He couldn't detect anything dangerous nearby. Finally, he nodded. "Stay here" he told her firmly. "I'll be back soon." With that he quickly leaped off in the direction the Shinidamachuu had come from.

Once he had disappeared into the forest Kagome felt like crumpling into a ball. But knowing that her friends were gazing at her in concern, she kept her smile in place as she told them "I should really try to get some studying in while there's still some light." She headed to where she had set up her sleeping bag, collapsing onto it and pulling out a text book. She knew her friends wouldn't want to disturb her work.

Before she could open it though Sango called out "Kagome-chan? Are you alright?"

She pasted another smile on her face. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Then quickly opened her book, pretending to be enthralled in the mystery of algebra. She stared unseeingly at the pages, though she turned them every few minutes to keep up the pretense.

The others exchanged knowing looks. "Poor Kagome-chan" Sango murmured quietly to Miroku who nodded his agreement.

Shippou chose to speak up. "It's all Inuyasha's fault! Doesn't that baka realize how much he hurts her feelings when he goes chasing after Kikyou?"

Miroku wasn't so sure about that. He had seen how Inuyasha was apparently prepared to ignore the Shinidamachuu, at least until Kagome had insisted that he go. "Hush, Shippou. This is between Inuyasha and Kagome-sama. We should stay out of it, and just try to be there for them if they need it."

Sango gave him a searching look and opened her mouth to inquire about his words when Kagome suddenly dropped her textbook. "I sense shards and they're approaching fast!"

The others knew what that meant. A whirlwind of dust could be seen approaching in the distance. Sango rolled her eyes. 'First Kikyou, now Kouga. Who's next, Sesshomaru?' she wondered absently even as she fingered the strap of Hiraikotsu. Kouga was an ally now but if he tried anything, she wouldn't hesitate to protect her friend.

And then he was there. He came to a halt in front of a now standing Kagome, clasping her hands and asking. "Kagome, a sight for sore eyes indeed. I caught your lovely scent on the breeze and had to come see you. How's my woman today? Has Inu-kuro been treating you right?" His eyes quickly glanced around camp and he frowned upon seeing no sign of the hanyou in question.

"Uh, I'm fine Kouga-kun" Kagome smiled at him nervously as she tried to pull her hands free.

Kouga's frown deepened when he sensed the deep sadness and pain Kagome was hiding. Sniffing he could tell that Inuyasha had been here recently but then ran off into the forest, where he could detect the smell of dirt and grave-soil. That could only mean one thing. Kouga scowled. "He left you alone and unprotected to go chasing after that undead miko?"

The others scowled at him and Kagome tried to reassure him. "Oh no, the others are here and my arrows are nearby. There's nothing to worry about."

"Bah, a couple of weak humans, kitsune brat and a nekomata are not enough protection." He nodded resolutely, as if coming to a big decision. "Alright, if mutt-face isn't going to take care of you properly, then it's up to me." And with that he snatched Kagome up into his arms bridal style and quickly ran off.

The others could only gape after them, not having expected that move. Sango rolled her eyes as she hefted Hiraikotsu higher. "Kirara" she called. She knew Kagome wasn't in any real danger but she couldn't just let him run off with her like that.

As the nekomata made to transform Miroku called out "Wait a moment."

Startled, the others turned to face him. "Houshi-sama?"

"Kagome-sama is in no danger, Kouga would never harm her and would allow no harm to befall her in his care. I believe it is better to wait for Inuyasha."

"But we can't just let Kouga steal Kagome-chan like that!" Shippou burst out.

Miroku shook his head. "Inuyasha would have a better chance of tracking them down and catching up to them than us, even with Kirara's help." 'Besides' he thought. 'I can't help but to feel that something good will come from this. Perhaps this is exactly what Inuyasha needs, a taste of his own medicine. How will he feel with the shoe on the other foot?'

Sango sighed and settled back down around the fire. "I hope you know what you are doing Houshi-sama. Inuyasha is not going to like this."

A growled "What won't I like?" startled them and they whirled to see the hanyou in question.

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><p>Inuyasha sighed as he made his way back to camp. That had been completely pointless. Kikyou had not sought him out, had in fact been surprised to see him. They had stared awkwardly at one another, not really having anything to say as it had been mere coincidence that she was in the area.<p>

"What a waste of time" he huffed. While it had been good to see Kikyou and know that she was alright, more and more it was becoming clear that their paths were no longer meant to be the same, even if they had the same goal in mind.

Nearly back to camp, he took a deep breath to make sure everything was as he left it only to stiffen and growl. "Mangy wolf, what's he doing here?"

Scowl set firmly in place he reached camp in time to here Sango say "Inuyasha is not going to like this."

"What won't I like?" he growled out, his eyes immediately taking in their startled faces as he sought one face in particular. He didn't find it. "Where's Kagome? And why do I smell the mangy flea-bitten wolf?"

The others exchanged looks and Sango gestured at Miroku to answer. But before he could open his mouth Shippou let out a wail. "Kagome's been kidnapped! By Kouga!"

"What?" Inuyasha roared, outraged.

Miroku hastened to calm him. "It is not as bad as it sounds. Kouga was merely concerned that Kagome was not protected enough and took her with him."

"Keh! Like that mangy wolf is any real protection. I trust you guys to protect her more than I do him." The others couldn't help but feel proud as well as touched by his words. Until he turned his glare on them. "So why the hell did you let him run off with her? You should have stopped him!" He turned and sniffed, quickly finding the scent trail.

Sango rolled her eyes, muttering "And we were supposed to stop him, how?" even as Inuyasha quickly ran off, following their scent. She turned to Miroku. "Should we follow?"

"No. I believe that it is best if Inuyasha resolves this on his own. Besides" he started, a certain look appearing on his face "I can think of much better ways to spend the evening."

Sango felt a familiar and unwelcome touch on her rear. Slap! She glared at the lecherous monk before storming off to eat her meal.

Miroku rubbed his now red cheek, a satisfied look upon his face even as he gazed in the direction the others had gone. 'I hope you think this situation over carefully Inuyasha, and make the right decision.' Then he turned and collected his own evening meal.

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><p>A fair distance away, Kouga had finally come to a halt in another forest clearing. Setting Kagome down, he quickly took a step back at the glare she leveled at him. Hands on her hips she began to yell at him in the voice she usually reserved for Inuyasha alone. "Kouga-kun! What were you thinking? Bring me back to camp, now!"<p>

Kouga held his hands up, trying to placate her. "Wait a minute Kagome. I brought you here because I needed to talk to you. It's important."

Still angry but calming down at his non-threatening actions as well as his words, Kagome couldn't help but feel slightly curious. "About what?"

Kouga fixed her with a serious stare. "I need to know the truth. What are your feelings for Inu-kuro?"

"W-what?" Kagome never expected him to ask something like that. She didn't know what to say. On the one hand he was asking for the truth, and he sounded like it was really important that she be honest. On the other hand, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. The guy was always professing to be in love with her, after all. And anyway, how could she tell him that she loved Inuyasha when she couldn't even admit that to Inuyasha himself. She could only stare at him helplessly, unsure of how to respond.

Kouga gave her a long searching look before nodding. It was as he had thought, as he had known, even if he hadn't wanted to admit it. "I understand" he told her gently. An approaching scent caught his attention, followed by the sound of someone rapidly nearing their location. 'That was faster than I thought.' He fixed Kagome with a serious look once more. "Do you trust me?"

Kagome blinked at him. First he asked about her feelings for Inuyasha, then if she trusts him. "Yes" she finally responded. 'After all,' she told herself, 'Kouga-kun would never hurt me.' She gave a startled gasp as Kouga pulled her firmly against his chest, wrapping his arms around her as if in a lover's embrace. Before she could question him, another voice intruded on her awareness.

"You fucking bastard! Let Kagome go right now!" Inuyasha snarled as he finally broke through the trees, immediately spotting his quarry. He growled at the intimate looking scene. 'How dare that mangy wolf hold Kagome like that!' But he couldn't help the little voice in his head that pointed out how she wasn't trying to get away. 'Is this why she told me to go see Kikyou?' he wondered, hurt battling with his rage. 'So she could have a rendezvous of her own?' He pushed that thought aside for the moment, one hand clenched around Tessaiga's hilt as he tried to get his rage under control.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, turning her head in shock. 'He's here? But he went to see Kikyou. Surely they couldn't have had any real time together in such a short time.' She felt guilty for pulling him away from his time with Kikyou, though a small part of her was secretly glad. And that just made her feel even guiltier.

Inuyasha halted at the surprise on Kagome's face, then he picked up on the guilt and immediately assumed his earlier thought was correct. "So this is why you were so eager to get rid of me" he spat bitterly. "So you could meet up with wolf-shit over there. How long has this been going on?" He glared at her.

"W-what?" Confused didn't begin to cover it. Kagome had no idea what he was talking about. Belatedly she realized that Kouga was still holding her and began pushing at his arms, trying to get him to release her.

Inuyasha saw her efforts and snorted. "A bit late for that, ain't it? The cat's already out of the bag."

Kouga glared at the hanyou as he pulled Kagome tighter against his chest. He could feel her hurt as she realized what he was saying. "What do you expect Inu-kuro? She needs a real man in her life" he taunted him.

Inuyasha shifted his gaze from Kagome to Kouga and snarled. "Bastard!" He cracked his knuckles, eager for a fight.

"Kouga-kun, stop! Let me go!" She turned her gaze back to Inuyasha. "This isn't what it looks like, I swear! Let me explain."

"Save it bitch. I can see with my own eyes what's going on. You think I'm stupid or something don't ya? I bet you were just laughing behind my back about what a stupid idiot the half-breed is."

"No! Never!" She vehemently denied his words.

Inuyasha ignored her. "You fucked him yet?"

Kagome went rigid, not even noticing when Kouga finally released her. "H-how could you ask me something like that?"

"Keh! Why else would you be out here alone with him? Why else would you sneak off behind my back?"

Fury filled her face as she glared back at him. "It wouldn't have been behind your back if you had been there! But no, you went to go see Kikyou! So why do you care if I decide to spend time with Kouga? Why is it okay for you to go see Kikyou but I can't see Kouga?" Kagome marched right up to him, finger poking into his chest with every word.

Inuyasha snarled as he glared back at her, hands clenched into fists. He so badly wanted to hurt someone but even as full of rage and hurt as he was he could never bring himself to physically injure Kagome. So he settled yelling back at her. "You Bitch!" he roared in her face. "I only went to see Kikyou because you told me to. You insisted on it in fact. But it was all a ploy so you could 'visit' with that mangy wolf! Real convenient timing spotting those Shinidamachuu. What would your excuse have been if they didn't show up? Because Kikyou wasn't expecting me at all!"

Kagome flinched back from his words. How could he accuse her of something like that, of purposefully trying to trick him into leaving so she could meet up with Kouga? Then the rest of his words filtered into her brain. She gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah, like I believe that. Here you are accusing me of indecent acts. What did you do with Kikyou?"

"I told you already, nothing happened. We barely even spoke!"

Kagome scoffed at that. "I don't believe you. Tell me the truth."

"Damn it wench! Why don't you ever believe me? Whenever Kikyou's involved you never listen, no matter what I say! Why can't you **trust** me?"

"Because I know you love her! And it hurts. You always go chasing after her. Why can't you love me the way that I love you!" Kagome gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth as she realized what she just said. She turned to run away when a hand wrapped around her arm and whirled her back around.

Grasping her by the upper arms Inuyasha peered intently into her face. His face was a mask as he asked her "Did you mean that?"

Kagome couldn't help the tears that began to pour down her face. Uselessly she tried to pull out of his grip but he was too strong, though a small part of her took note that while his grip was strong he took care not to cause her any pain.

"Answer me, damn it! Did you mean that?" He shook her.

Kagome closed her eyes in defeat. "Yes" she whispered quietly. "But you love her." Suddenly her arms were released only for strong arms to wrap around her body and pull her against a hard chest.

"Baka" he mumbled into her hair as he breathed in her scent.

'Why is he holding me?' she wondered. Unable to understand his actions, she understood his words. "I know. But I can't help the way I feel. I know you don't feel the same. I don't expect anything from you, I just want to stay by your side. Please don't send me away." She was suddenly afraid that that is what he planned. The last time he held her like this he threw her down the well without the shards. She was suddenly thankful that they were nowhere near the well.

His grip on her tightened. "Baka" he said again. "You don't understand at all." He pulled back enough to gaze into her eyes. Kagome was taken aback by the emotion she could see reflected in his golden orbs. "You have it all wrong. I care for Kikyou, yes, and I owe her revenge so that she can rest peacefully. But our paths are no longer the same."

Her heart hammered in her chest. What was he saying? "But-"

Inuyasha cut her off. "And I've made peace with that. We agreed not to seek each other out unless we have news of Naraku. But that doesn't mean we won't accidentally cross paths occasionally. We do have the same goal after all." He sighed, frustrated with his inability to vocalize his feelings. "But while Kikyou and I no longer walk the same path, you and I **do**."

Kagome gasped quietly. 'Could he be?'

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm trying to tell you that I feel the same way that you do. That's why it hurt to see you in that mangy wolf's embrace like that."

"Inuyasha" she breathed as it words settled in. It wasn't the declaration of love that she had been yearning for but coming from him it was saying a lot. Staring into one another's eyes their faces slowly crept closer as their eyes began to drift shut. Just as their lips were about to touch-

"It's about time!"

They leaped apart, the moment gone. Inuyasha immediately grabbed Kagome to keep her from going to far, pulling her to rest against his side while turning his body to shield her from Kouga's view.

"You!" he growled, hand moving to Tessaiga's hilt. "I've still got a score to settle with you! How dare you run off with Kagome like that and then have the audacity to hold her so intimately!"

Kouga rolled his eyes. "Easy there Inu-kuro. She's all yours."

"What?" Two voices echoed throughout the clearing as their owners stared at the ookami youkai in shock.

Kouga rolled his eyes again and leaned nonchalantly against a nearby tree. "I realized a while ago that I didn't really love Kagome. Oh, I care about her don't get me wrong, who wouldn't, but only as a friend. It was just too much fun yanking your chain all the time by claiming that she was my woman."

Inuyasha growled at that. "I oughta..." He calmed down a bit when Kagome placed her hand on his arm and gave him a look.

"If that's the case, Kouga-kun, then what changed?"

He sighed. "Like I said Kagome. I care about you as a friend and I was tired of seeing you hurt by Inu-kuro over there. When I stopped by your camp earlier it really was to have a bit of fun like always and to see if you had heard anything new about Naraku. Then I saw how much pain you were in and realized that mutt-face had gone to see the dead miko."

At his words Inuyasha's ears lowered on his head. He had known that he would be hurting Kagome but that didn't mean he had wanted to. That was the last thing he wanted.

"So I decided enough was enough. It was time to get the two of you to finally admit your feelings." He shrugged. "I figured if Inu-kuro thought he was about to lose you he would finally think about his real feelings and do something. I also knew I had to get you away from your friends. They mean well but you gotta admit they don't know how to mind their own business." He snorted. "There have been a few times I've passed by your group without you being aware, or my wolves have and they reported what they saw to me. I've noticed how close the two of you were getting. Then one of your friends, usually the monk but sometimes the kitsune and even a couple of times the Taijiya, would say or do something and you two would be fighting again."

They thought that over before nodding. Yeah, things like that did tend to happen around their friends.

"So I saw an opportunity and I took it." Standing up straight and brushing the dust from his body he turned to face them fully. "I'm glad things worked out for you two." He glared at Inuyasha. "Don't blow it."

"Keh!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. Then he glanced at Kagome before turning to face the ookami youkai once more. "Kouga. Thanks."

Kouga nodded, his blue eyes serious. "Just take good care of her." He turned to face Kagome. "I'll be seeing you around. We are still after the same goal after all." With that he waved once before taking off, his signature whirlwind appearing and disappearing with him.

Kagome lifted her gaze to Inuyasha's face and smiled. "We really do owe him, don't we?"

A stubborn look appeared on his face. "Feh. I already told him once, I'm not gonna say it again." Then he peered down into her face and a sly look appeared on his face. "Now, where were we before the ookami interrupted?"

Kagome's heart sped up as his face drew closer. "I think we were right about, here" she whispered right before their lips met. Blissful sighs escaped them as they each lost themselves in the other.

Meanwhile a certain ookami was racing back to the mountains he had recently left. He had been spending a lot of time helping the northern ookami tribe rebuild after the recent attacks, part of why he had realized that he didn't really love Kagome. His mind wandered to a certain ookami princess he had grown particularly close to. "I wonder when I should let Ayame know that I remember a certain promise made below the Lunar Rainbow." He smirked and continued to run.


End file.
